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Gospel: Mark 6: 34-44
When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
But they said to him,
“Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food
and give it to them to eat?”
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
And when they had found out they said,
“Five loaves and two fish.”
So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass.
The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties.
Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven,
he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples
to set before the people;
he also divided the two fish among them all.
They all ate and were satisfied.
And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments
and what was left of the fish.
Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Often when we think about the Saints, we honor their courage; their willingness to suffer; or the extraordinary lengths they’ve gone to in order to spread the Gospel.
Think of people Saint Paul, Saint John of the Cross, and Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
Today’s feast, honoring Saint André Bessette, challenges that notion of “greatness.” We might place André in the category of the “little” Saints, who did nothing extraordinary in the eyes of this world … but are extraordinary in the eyes of God and the Church.
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André was orphaned at age 12. He grew up in very poor health with almost no formal education.
But by the age of 25, he discovered his purpose: God was calling him to religious life. After initially being rejected, André was admitted into the Society of Holy Cross Priests.
He was never ordained a priest, but became a religious brother, who spent his days as a doorman at Notre Dame College in Montreal. Aside from opening doors and greeting visitors, he prayed for all of those who were ill.
Miraculously, thousands were healed through his intercession during his lifetime. André credited the healings to Saint Joseph, to whom he held a deep devotion.
Wanting to thank Joseph for his intercession, Brother André built him a humble shrine in 1904 worth $200. André saved up the money by giving haircuts for 5 cents each… that’s 4,000 in all!
On January 6, 1937, he died at the age of 91. During the week his body lay in state, an estimated 1 million people braved the Canadian cold to pay their respects.
Though humble in its beginnings, Andrés shrine has since grown into a massive basilica, welcoming tens of thousands of pilgrims each year; his intercession is still sought by many today.
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If you or a loved one are in need of healing, ask Saint André to intercede:
Saint André,
I come to you in prayer for healing.
(state your intention)
You were no stranger to illness.
Plagued by stomach problems,
you knew suffering on a daily basis,
but you never lost faith in God.
Thousands of people have sought your healing touch
as I do today.
Pray that I might be restored to health
in body, soul and mind.
With St. Joseph as my loving Protector,
strengthen my faith and give me peace
that I might accept God’s will for me
no matter what the outcome.
Amen.
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Image credits: (1) Listverse (2) Saint André Besset (3) Saint Joseph’s Oratory